It's a new year, and that means a new crop of iconic characters—some more than others—entering the public domain. According to Title 17 of the United States Code, once 95 years have passed since the creation of any "anonymous work,

It’s a new year, and that means more works are headed to the public domain. This year, thousands of copyrighted works created in 1929, including the earliest versions of Popeye and the Belgian comic book character Tintin, are now free to reuse and repurpose in the US.

Tintin, now in the Public Domain, gets a modern revival in The Big Lie, to be Kickstartered this year from Fabrice Sapolsky.

In 2025, the works unbound from copyright cap off the 1920s with literature, characters and more from 1929 entering the public domain.

A new year brings lots of new things — including a new batch of entries into the public domain. 2025’s list includes everything

Walt Disney directed the iconic Skeleton Dance short animated by Ub Iwerks, as well as when Mickey Mouse starred in his first talkie. The intrepid Tintin and original Popeye characters have arrived in the public domain as well.

At the turn of the new year, several pieces of classic media entered the public domain, making them free to use by anyone. Some of the best-known characters include the earliest Popeye cartoon, as he appeared in the Thimble Theatre comic strip Gobs of Work.

From A Farewell to Arms to the cartoon character Popeye the Sailor, thousands of artistic works will enter the public domain in the US on Wednesday.